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April 18, 2003
RALEIGH, NC – The No. 34 ranked Virginia women’s tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the 2003 ACC Tournament with a 4-3 win Friday over No. 22 ranked Georgia Tech. The No. 5 seeded Cavaliers will play No. 1 seeded Duke on Saturday at the Millbrook Exchange Tennis Center in Raleigh.
The Cavaliers (15-8) opened the match by taking the doubles point for an early 1-0 lead. The team of Henriette Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) and Jennifer Tuchband (Millburn, N.J.) got the Cavaliers started with a win at No. 1 doubles. Then , with the doubles point in the balance, the team of Kristen James (Clifton, Va.) and Lori Stern (Ojai, Calif.) clinched the point with their win at No. 2 doubles.
In singles, the Cavaliers quickly increased their lead to 2-0 as Stern posted a straight set win over Mysti Morris at No. 4 singles. However, the Yellow Jackets would rally with straight set wins at No. 2, No. 5, and No. 6 singles to take a 3-2 lead. The Cavaliers needed to win the last two remaining matches to win the match and did just that. The first-year James defeated ACC Rookie of the Year Kelly Anderson in three sets to even the match. Minutes later Williams completed a three set comeback win over Catherine Gunn at No. 1 singles which clinched the match for the Cavaliers.
“Today was a great win for this team,” stated Virginia head coach Phil Rogers. “In a match between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, you know it was going to be close and getting the doubles point early was a big advantage. Late in the match, when Kristen and Henriette needed to win, it seemed like we just wanted the win and were going accept nothing less. I am incredibly proud of this team and their effort today.”
The Virginia-Duke semifinal match will begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday in Raleigh.
No. 34 (No. 5 seed) Virginia 4, No. 22 (No. 4 seed) Georgia Tech 3
Doubles:
1. No. 50 Tuchband/Williams (UVa) def. No. 45 Anderson/Wong (GT) 8-3
2. No. 31 K. James/Stern (UVa) def. No. 49 Gunn/Nieto (GT) 8-6
3. Morris/Shosho (GT) def. Bruch/Montgomery (UVa) 8-3
Singles:
1. No. 88 Henriette Williams (UVa) def. Catherine Gunn (GT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. No. 51 Jamie Wong (GT) def. No. 86 Jennifer Tuchband (UVa) 6-2, 7-5
3. Kristen James (UVa) def. Kelly Anderson (GT) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
4. Lori Stern (UVa) def. Mysti Morris (GT) 6-2, 6-1
5. Lyndsay Shosho (GT) def. Marta Bechliwanis (UVa) 6-4, 6-0
6. Sekita Grant (GT) def. Dora Bechliwanis (UVa) 6-4, 6-3